Bordetella hinzii was believed to be nonpathogenic in poultry because previous attempts to cause disease in poultry with the bacterium have failed, but Agricultural Research Service scientists announced study results that prove otherwise.
Scientists at the ARS examined several Bordetella isolates, including some that had caused 100% morbidity in turkey. Although the isolates had been labeled as B. avium, the scientists found that they were actually B. hinzii, showing for the first time that some strains of B. hinzii can cause disease in turkeys.
In a similar study done on chickens no birds developed the clinical disease, suggesting that the pathogenicity of B. hinzii does not extend to chickens.
